The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
54 User Reviews
Posted by Gord (Toronto, Ontario) on 11/29/2006
★★★★★
It's 4:am and i just woke up gagging on my tonsils. it's 48 hours into a cycle of penicillin my doctor prescribed to me for strep throat and my sore throat's getting worse and my tonsils are so enflamed that they're triggering a gag reflex in the back of my mouth. i've never had a serious infection before and now with the anti-biotics not working i was starting to get worried that it was one of those super-bugs! i couldn't sleep so i jumped online and came across this site. reading the stories calmed me down alot (i'm not prone to anxiety but i think being a father of a toddler has something to do with it) and i immediately whipped up 1/2tsp of cayenne w/ 6 oz. of warm water for a gargle. i don't eat spicy foods because it upsets my stomach but i was pretty desperate. turns out for some reason it's not spicy at all, maybe because i didn't swallow it. just a little tingle and now even that's gone as i'm typing this. my tonsils not touching my tongue anymore so i feel better. i'm gonna gargle a few more times and head for bed. thx for this great site. i'm going to tell my friends about it and the peppers.
Cayenne
Posted by Lorelei (Utah) on 11/03/2006
★★★★★
My husband has been having repeated episodes of strep throat, and passing them on to me. I detest antibiotics because they play havoc with body, but I can't afford not to treat strep throat because I end up with a condition called guttate psoriasis (small, raised, white, scaly patches everywhere, and I mean everywhere, on my body; it took over a year to disapper the last time I had it). My husband has tried grapefruit seed extract to cure his strep throat, but that didn't work at all. So this Halloween, when I felt certain that I had strep throat, I turned to the internet in desperation, and found this site. I'm not a big fan of spicy food, so the strongest dilution I could handle was about 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper in about 6 oz of water. I gargled with it every 15 minutes, as recommended, for 2 hours, and then gave up, feeling that it wasn't helping (and my mouth was on fire). I passed out for a nap, and woke up with my sore throat mostly gone! And I felt like I might even be able to go trick-or-treating with my kids that night! I continued gargling periodically for the rest of that day and the next. It's been a few (gargle-free) days now, and my throat and energy are fine. I'm impressed! I must add that I have also been taking high doses of Vit C and echinacea. While my throat was sore, I was also drinking a lot of warm water with raw honey and lemon. My only complaint is that by the end of the second day, the cayenne pepper gargle made me gag. That night, my husband served up steak that had been marinating in a mixture which included a small amount of cayenne pepper, unbeknownst to me, and I couldn't figure out why the taste of the steak was making me ill until I asked if there was cayenne pepper in it!! I have been perusing the rest of the site, and can't wait to try some more natural cures!
Cayenne
Posted by Mariah (Amherstburg, Ontario) on 09/02/2006
★★★★★
I used half a lemon, two regular spoonfuls of honey, 3 drops of tobasco, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and chopped up half a clove of garlic. i put this all in a huge mug and strained it and drank it taking small sips. It tasted better than i thought, kinda like a spicy lemon instantly my throat was better. Trust me. I get sore throat/strep throat ATLEAST 3 times a year and this really works...Made me sneeze a little the first time though ; ). Try it!
Cayenne
Posted by Kevin (Miami, FL) on 06/29/2006
★★★★★
Go spend the $1.29 right now and get some Cayenne pepper. I am BLOWN AWAY by this cure. I have suffered from sore throats all my life, and nothing has ever worked this quickly and efficiently. I just had strep throat a month and a half ago, lost a week of work, stayed in bed, then finally spent the money to get some antibiotics. I wish I had read this sooner. Yesterday morning I woke up with a feeling of dread as the right side of my throat began hurting just like it did a month ago, and by the end of the day I couldn't talk again and was weak. This is 4th of July weekend and I must party, and I had to find a cure asap. This was it. I could write forever about the hour by hour improvements, but just take everyone's word for it and do this, it's like... all I can TALK about!
Cayenne
Posted by Joe (Carlsbad, CA) on 06/16/2006
★★★★★
It's 1:23 in the morning and i haven't really slept in two days because of the pain of strep throat. I'm absolutely exhausted. Nothing seems to work, not ibuprofen, not niquil. Finally out of desperation i search online for sore throat remedies and find the idea of gargling water mixed with cayenne. Finally....I feel i might be able to go to sleep, and I think i just might, so good night, and thank you SO much.
Cayenne
Posted by Kathleen (LA, CA) on 06/08/2006
★★★★☆
Seems going barefoot before summer always gives me throat probs. became allergic to penicillin age 14. tonsils died, not removed. after becoming a health nut adult, still got strep/laryngitis min once ev year, lasts 6wks. do acv 3x every single day. used to use echinacea, graduated to elderberry, then oregano. monday, no signs. felt great, got laryn again. it only took 3 hours to hit. no more swallowing, or talking. today's thurs. tried all these cures over the years. jic, i tried every single one this a.m.! 99% of you are lucky. guess i'll call the doc. not a single cure that works yet! cayenne feels a little better ev few seconds tho.
Replied by Force Recon Sam
(Corona, Ca)
01/10/2012
